Before they were rookies : Dave Justice

So what do you do when its so easy to get a rookie card thats massed produced? You go and look for something more rare or scarce. In this case Dave Justice came into the league in 1990. Leaf / Donruss, Topps and Upper Deck all had printed millions of Dave Justice's cards.

Besides his 1990 Topps Tiffany card in gem mint condition, Dave Justice's cards are just not worth much. Besides the ones stated the only other one that comes close is the 1994 SP Holoview Red      Die-Cut card. But, this card is nowhere near his rookie year, not to mention that the card is considered an insert.

So what do you do when you are a Dave Justice fan or like a challenge? Well as my previous blogs has stated, I go looking for pre-rookie cards, Minor League Baseball Cards.

Here I have a 1986 Dave Justice Sumter Braves MiLB card issued by ProCards. Now unlike other players, for some reason Dave Justice never had another MiLB card which leaves only one to choose from unless I'm wrong. This card was issued four years before his rookie year, which is quite a time lapse. Also, this card is not expensive even in gem mint grade. A typical team set would set you back twenty dollars. This specimen of a gem mint example set me back a total of twenty dollars excluding shipping.

Before they were rookies : Jeff Bagwell

Since I began collecting baseball cards I have always been interested in rookies. I guess it was the fad back then but then again its still popular today. Growing up in the 80's was a time you get baseball cards for fun rather than for investment. The grades of the cards was not important, kids stuck cards in their bike spokes or flipped them on the floor like playing cards. Some even put them in their pockets without a top loader... the horror.

But that was back then and now we are in a new era of baseball card collecting where every single detail is important. Corners, edges, centering and surface are important in getting your moneys worth. No longer are collectors touching, feeling or handling their cards.

So like I said, I have always been interested in players from the 80's and 90's. But most of these cards are not worth much even in high grades which is perfect for the collector. If you liked a certain player most of their cards were produced in the thousands if not millions which provided easy pickings. Knowing me though, I always like a challenge.

Enter MiLB, Minor League Baseball cards or small market produced cards. Many of these sets were promotional, regional or just issued in small quantities by a small company. Many of the players in the sets are not known since they never made it to the MLB level. But how about the ones that does?

So here we have a Jeff Bagwell P&L Promotion card issued in 1988 three years before his 1991 Topps rookie card. Its not rare by any means but they are produced less then a Topps rookie card. And the fact that its graded gem mint doesn't make this card expensive. In gem mint condition this card can be bought for twenty dollars, about the price of a bowman chrome autographed rookie. But yet, Jeff Bagwell is a star already, so there is no need to wait.